And the MB ones are purely Merino? I can't imagine they would last that long at that weight/thinness, if so. With 35% poly, the P. Merino 1 should be significantly more durable, so maybe in the long run it's worth the extra $?

Out of curiosity, does anyone know where these are made? I've been trying to avoid purchasing items made in countries (e.g. China) where it's more likely that the workers making the item in question were treated poorly and paid a substandard wage.

for those looking for sub 150 g/m^2 merino shirts
on 04/15/2013 06:01:50 MDT

I love merino, and all my base layers are now Merino. For the PCT I used 150 g/m^2 Icebreaker and Smartwool tops and they worked great. However, they were not very durable at all, and all of them wore through on the back and shoulders from abrasion with the pack. 120 g/m^2 would be great to wear on their own, or maybe for trail running, but unless they are seriously reinforced with other fibres, I think they would be too fragile for use with a pack.

Drew wrote, "The Montbell website lists them as a 92% wool/8% nylon blend."

Thanks for the info Drew. That 8% nylon should help, a little. I've noticed that a percentage of wool sweaters will often have between 10 to 20% nylon, but they are already much tougher to begin with, especially if you deliberately and carefully felt them (felted wool is so much more durable than non felted).

Here's another thing i don't quite get. Why these companies don't do higher nylon ratio blends. First off, nylon is a good fiber to mix the merino with because it's the least innately stinky of the synthetics, it's the lightest, and the strongest. Granted it's also the least thermally efficient/most conductive but most people don't rely on baselayers for serious warmth so much anyways. A 60% Merino and 40% nylon supplex or microfiber blend, even if thinner will be significantly durable, lighter, warm enough, odor resistant, should be cheaper, etc. If you wanted to keep the full odor resistance, but increase strength and durability some still, you could mix the merino with some linen--hey, it ain't kosher (in the literal sense) but i don't care.

I suspect most companies and manufacturers involved don't want to make significantly durable merino baselayers because merino is such a golden cash cow, and oh so replaceable as is.

Maybe we should sign a petition and contact a reputable company, and tell them "We want durable, odor resistant baselayers at a better price, just add 30 to 40% nylon or linen" Perhaps someone more clever than myself can come up with a catchy, rhyming chant and we can picket even.

A rough draft: "You will sell, if i don't smell, but it's gotta be light, cheap, and last more than a night!"

Now, everyone chant in unison. We CAN get'er done, change is in the air, can't you smell it (oh, wait, that's my polypro, nevermind) :)

for those looking for sub 150 g/m^2 merino shirts
on 04/15/2013 15:06:53 MDT

@Justin. Have you looked the the RAB MeCo fabric based clothing? This is their blurb;

"Rab® MeCo fabrics combine 65% ethically sourced Australian merino wool with 35% recycled polyester with Cocona® technology. The two yarns are intimately blended to produce a high performance fabric that offers all the natural benefits of warmth, softness and odour protection of merino wool, but with the added performance of Cocona® technologies. This produces a garment that dries 5 times faster and offers increased odour protection over 100% merino fabrics."

Hi Alasdair, i have not, but thank you for the tip--looks promising. Generally i have ignored Rab, and many other brands like that because of the commonly found outrageous prices that tend to be associated with brands like these.

But i will look into it, and hopefully can snag some on clearance, sale, or what not sometime. It's the only way i can afford to buy these name brand stuff. Like i bought two houdini's recently, both fairly discounted and on clearance.

a little update on this older thread: I've worn the two MB t-shirts on numerous hikes and runs now and they are holding up well; I do insure they are washed in cold water and hung dry. They are light enough that I was a little worried about longevity, but so far, so good (my Pat Merino 1 crew is holding up well too). Because of their light fabric, they do a great job of moving moisture and drying quickly, as you would hope a good base layer would do.